Huddersfield landlady left with nightmares after floodwater wrecked her pub

Sam Watt, who runs the Star on Albert Road in Folly Hall, Huddersfield, said the flood a month ago filled her cellars to the ceilings, wrecked all her stock and lifted the wooden floor.

Torrential rain caused the nearby River Holme to flood over Queens Mill Road a month ago and drains couldn’t cope with the amount of water that also came round into Albert Street.

Ms Watt, who also organises the Huddersfield Winter Festival, said: “I could hear the water pouring into the cellars and went down to have a look.

“It was coming into one of the smaller cellars from the road outside with such force it threw me across the room.”

She managed to flee upstairs as the water quickly rose to the cellar ceiling and ended up being around three inches deep in the pub itself. More misery followed as Ms Watt thought she was insured against flooding but her broker changed her insurance company recently to a policy that does not cover flooding.

She is battling with the broker saying she should have been told about such a major change in her policy and may end up taking her complaint to the insurance ombudsman. Meanwhile, local councillor Andrew Cooper is investigating when the drains in the area were last cleared as many were fully or partially clogged with grit, sand and debris.

“I dread to think how much we have lost and how much all this will cost to repair,” said Ms Watt. “Some days I just cry. I keep having nightmares – I can hear and see the water.”

Coun Cooper said there are several places in the Newsome ward with serious flood risks, including parts of Armitage Bridge.

He added: “During the bad weather in February I tried to get some sandbags from Kirklees Highways but everything was so hectic they said to let them know when flooding was imminent but by then it would have been too late.”

Coun Cooper then discovered a ‘sandless’ sandbag called FloodSax made by Huddersfield company Environmental Defence Systems. They resemble large pillowcases in their dry state but once immersed in water absorb up to 20 litres to become instant sandbags but without the sand. They claim to cause less mess than sandbags, are largely biodegradable and almost three million have been sold worldwide.

After hearing about the problems in the Newsome ward, EDS donated packs of FloodSax to Coun Cooper. He said: “It means we can get them distributed quickly to people who need them most in an emergency.”